Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Yonatasha.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium, commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Yonatashaxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Salinas, Calif. and Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.
The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made in October, 1999, in Salinas, Calif., of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Alcala, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,211, as the female, or seed, parent with the Chrysanthemum cultivar Stephanie, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,445, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in October, 2000. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive ray floret color and good garden performance.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since January, 2001, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Yonatasha has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Yonatashaxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Yonatashaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright, mounded and rounded plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.
3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.
4. Daisy-type inflorescences.
5. Light purple-colored ray florets and bright yellow-colored disc florets.
6. Early flowering, natural season flowering in mid-September in the Northern Hemisphere.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the female parent, the cultivar Alcala, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were smaller than plants of the cultivar Alcala.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly than plants of the cultivar Alcala.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Alcala.
4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about four weeks earlier than plants of the cultivar Alcala when grown under natural season conditions.
5. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Alcala differed in ray floret coloration as plants of the cultivar Alcala had darker purple-colored ray florets.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the male parent, the cultivar Stephanie, in the following characteristics:
1. Plant habit of plants of the new Chrysanthemum was more uniform than plant habit of plants of the cultivar Stephanie.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were larger than plants of the cultivar Stephanie.
3. Ray florets of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Stephanie differed in ray floret color as plants of the cultivar Stephanie had white-colored ray florets.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the cultivar Yocamille, disclosed in a U.S. Plant Patent application filed concurrently, primarily in ray floret coloration. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the cultivar Yocecilia, disclosed in a U.S. Plant Patent application filed concurrently, primarily in ray floret coloration. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the cultivar Yojeanette, disclosed in a U.S. Plant Patent application filed concurrently, primarily in ray floret coloration.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the cultivar Italia, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Italia in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Italia.
2. Ray florets of the new Chrysanthemum were darker in color than ray florets of the cultivar Italia.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about two to three weeks earlier than plants of the cultivar Italia when grown under natural season conditions.